RUSSELL TOWNSHIP -- Jeffrey and Jennifer Hovinen spent years chasing the trappings of affluence and suburban bliss: a big house with a landscaped lawn, Porsches and Louis Vuitton accessories.

Intelligent and driven, the couple took annual vacations abroad and developed a circle of friends who were their peers -- lawyers, publicists and other professionals.

But in one week in July, the lives of the handsome, well-to-do couple from Russell Township crumbled.

They knew a looming criminal investigation would prove their jet-set lifestyle had been fueled in part by a secret spring of stolen money. The revelations would leave them humiliated and broken. They saw only one way out -- suicide.

Details of their downfall came to light last week when Russell Township police released a 110-page file on their investigation of the deaths. Shortly after, the Hovinens' deaths were officially ruled suicides.

The file shows that the couple researched ways to kill themselves before settling on a rarely used method known as "Death by Hibachi." A coroner ruled that the couple died of asphyxia by carbon monoxide.

The Hovinens were found dead July 7, five days after the last time anyone saw them alive. The police file confirms that husband and wife -- both 41 -- killed themselves in the wake of an investigation into Jennifer Hovinen's work at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland.

She was the director of public relations and marketing at the hospital. She embezzled $2.8 million from St. Vincent by diverting ad payments to a personal post office box, according to sources and the police file.

The police file also reveals that the Hovinens made statements of guilt to colleagues before killing themselves.

St. Vincent officials declined to discuss the case.

Police in Beachwood -- who are handling the theft investigation because the Hovinens' post office box was in that city -- are expected to end their inquiry in the coming weeks, said Police Chief Mark Sechrist. While police have not formally concluded that the couple acted alone, Sechrist said police did not foresee any arrests.

Family members and friends of the couple declined to comment for this article.

Jeffrey Hovinen was an attorney and founder of globalEXETER, a tax and real estate consulting firm. Despite suffering financial setbacks -- the couple filed for bankruptcy in 1992 -- the Hovinens enjoyed an upper-middle-class lifestyle that included a Porsche Cayenne sport utility vehicle, a 40-foot boat and a two-story colonial valued at nearly a half-million dollars. Neighbors told police that Jennifer Hovinen was always cheery and quick to offer a friendly wave.

But on July 1, a different side of Jennifer Hovinen was revealed. That day, hospital officials and lawyers -- including hospital CEO and President Jeff Jeney -- confronted Jenny Hovinen about an account she controlled, according to the police file. Hovinen initially said she could provide more information, but officials suspended her when she failed to do so.

Gary Lazroff, a human resources executive for the hospital, told police that hospital officials questioned Hovinen about a $24,000 invoice. Officials suspected that $2.8 million had been siphoned to a bogus company over six years, Lazroff told police. Sources familiar with the investigation have said Hovinen was diverting money meant to pay for late-night television ads for the hospital. The ads never aired.

Shortly after the meeting with hospital officials, Jennifer Hovinen sent text messages to her husband at work. They also talked on the phone, and afterward Jeffrey Hovinen grew quiet and left the office in a hurry, according to a statement made by Nancy Amstadt, a partner at globalEXETER.

Jeffrey Hovinen later called Amstadt and made a confession.

"He told me his wife had been embezzling funds from the hospital and he had tried to cover it up for her," Amstadt told police in a written statement. Hovinen then asked for the names of possible defense attorneys.

That same night, Jennifer Hovinen alluded to the theft in cryptic statements made during a phone conversation with her assistant at St. Vincent, Kellie Crowe.

Crowe, in a three-page police statement, said Hovinen would not tell her why the hospital suspended her.

"She kept saying, 'I can't tell you why,' " Crowe wrote. Hovinen apologized repeatedly and predicted that when the truth came to light, she would be a hated woman.

"Remember, when you find out, remember that this is not who I am," Hovinen said, according to Crowe's statement. "I am really a caring person who just wanted to help people. Please remember that."

Crowe asked if she would see Hovinen again.

"Yeah," Hovinen responded, "probably on the news, in handcuffs."

About 6 p.m. on July 1, the couple purchased hamburgers and drinks at a Woodmere McDonald's, according to the report, then began an online search for ways to kill themselves.

An Internet history log for a computer taken from the Hovinens' home shows visits to Web sites about carbon monoxide and Tylenol poisoning. Other entries included "Top 10 Common Methods of Suicide" and "How to Commit Suicide with Carbon Monoxide."

One or both of the Hovinens searched Google for topics including "Charcoal Suicide" and "Death by Hibachi," an uncommon suicide method in which a person is overcome by carbon monoxide fumes after burning charcoal in a sealed room. This type of suicide happens fewer than 10 times a year in the United States, according to the American Association of Suicidology.

About 11:30 that night, Jeffrey Hovinen was seen combing the aisles of a Giant Eagle supermarket in Chesterland. Video showed Hovinen at a cash register, purchasing two 18-inch grills, two charcoal bags, lighter fluid, a six-pack of Bud Lime beer and a lighter.

An electrician who worked at the Hovinens' house on July 2 said he saw the couple that morning. It was the last time anyone reported seeing the couple alive, according to the file.

Warrensville Heights police recovered Jennifer Hovinen's Porsche SUV from the Marriott Hotel on Harvard Road days after the couple's bodies were found. Police reports do not indicate why the SUV was left there and police declined to explain.

Susan Magrey cleaned the Hovinens' home regularly but had not worked for the couple since seeing them the day of Jennifer Hovinen's suspension. When she returned to their house on July 7, a Monday, she noticed some unusual things.

Trash cans remained on the tree lawn even though trash pickup was Wednesday. Inside the home, Magrey noticed that the curtains were still drawn. She wandered into the Hovinens' basement and opened the bathroom door and saw the couple sprawled on the bathroom floor. At their feet were two spent hibachis. They had been dead for several days.

On the vanity rested an opened but full bottle of Bud Lime beer and a near-empty bottle of Absolut vodka. Inside the sink were blue Giant Eagle plastic bags, filled with plastic wrapping from the hibachis. Magrey called the police.

Magrey also found a suicide note from Jenny Hovinen to her parents scribbled in a spiral notebook used as a work log by the housekeeper. Magrey read the opening lines and then stopped, realizing what had happened.

When police first came upon the couple's computer in a home office, a Wikipedia page describing carbon monoxide poisoning was on the screen.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.